Announcements – February 23, 2020
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper this Tuesday
Once again chef Mark Spahr will be flipping pancakes, sausage and bacon for St. Pat’s Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper at 5:30 to 7:00 PM this Tuesday, February 25th. . All are welcome. Come and bring a friend or neighbor.
Columbia Street Lunch is March 1 The sign-up sheet is in the Common Room.
Dignity First Needs Your Write-In Vote! There’s still time. Deadline is February 29th.
St. Patrick’s member Jamie Beck recently started a nonprofit Dignity First that supports the unhoused and homeless in the Bangor area. Here is your chance to nominate Dignity First as a write-in option on Bangor Savings Community Matters More online ballot. And Dignity First will receive a grant. It’s very easy to do. Go to:
https://www.bangor.com/community/community-matters-more and click on Southern Penobscot Region and write in Dignity First. You can also find instructions and the link on our website.
LENT AT ST. PAT’S
Letters to St. Patrick’s: During the five Sundays of Lent, the second lesson will be read as a letter to St. Patrick’s from one of our neighbors and will highlight the various ways that the “least of these” and Christ are crucified in our modern world. These letters will then be nailed to a piece of wood and hung on the wall as one of the stations of the cross.
Meditation Service
Our first Lenten Meditation Service will be Thursday, March 5 @ 6:30. This is a service of prayers, scripture, quiet meditation and Songs of Taize and Iona. Lent is a time to take time in our busy lives to consider and tend to our spiritual health.
As in the words of Brother Roger, founder of the Taize community:
“From the depths of the human condition a secret aspiration rises up. Caught in the anonymous rhythms of schedules and timetables, men and women of today are implicitly thirsting for an essential reality, for an inner life. Nothing is more conducive to a communion with the living God than a meditative common prayer with…singing that never ends and that continues in the silence of one’s heart when one is alone again.”
We have this Meditation Service the first Thursday of each month. The second Lenten Meditation Service will be April 2nd.
Wednesday evening Lenten services:
Once again, churches that are part of the community Lenten services will be having Wednesday evening services. All services start at 6:30 PM, starting here at St. Pat’s.
February 26— Ash Wednesday. St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church,
Pastor Gretchen Casey -preacher
March 4–– Holden United Church of Christ-Church Road, Holden, ME
the Rev. Peggy Day- preacher
March 11–North Brewer Eddington United Methodist Church–31 Main Rd, Eddington
Pastor Jon Ouellette -preacher
March 18–– East Orrington Congregational Church-38 Johnson Mill Rd, Orrington
the Rev. Linette George -preacher
March 25–– Lighthouse Church of God–696 River Rd. Orrington
the Rev. Ron Chaffee preacher
April 1— Orrington United Methodist Church– 14 Center Drive, Orrington
Pastor Jerrod Oltman preacher.
We at St. Pat’s are hosting the first of 6 Wednesday Evening Lenten services and will be providing refreshments. If you would like to bring something to serve, please sign up in the Common Room . This has been very well attended in the past, and it’s nice to see so many folks from other churches in the area. Questions? Jamie Beck is in charge.
Women’s Book Sharing Group to Kick Off in April
If you are interested in participating in a once a month women’s group, please sign up in the Common Room. The book we will be sharing is “ by Lindsay Hardin Freeman. See a description with the sign-up sheet. Pat Blethen will be facilitating the group.
- The group is open to all women, no church affiliation is required. Sign up sheet is being sent to congregations only as an easy means of distribution. It has been sent to all the churches in the Brewer Ministerial group as well as St James and St John’s.
- Please check all the dates/times you would be available to meet. The one that works for the most people across locations will be selected.
- Please sign up by 2/26/2020 (Ash Wednesday)
- The initial gathering will be held at held in April at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church on the corner of Main St. and Holyoke, Brewer. Hosting of future meetings will be determined at the April gathering.
- People will be notified of the selected date via email.
- Attending every month is not required.
- Purchasing the book is not necessary as the material will be shared during the meeting.
Faith Linking in Action
Transportation for All (TFA) After persistence from a TFA member there is now a “warming bus” stationed at the Pickering Square terminal so people can get out of this bitter cold while they wait for their bus. The work continues to improve schedules, bus stops, hours of operation and many more important issues. Your input is needed. Come to the monthly meetings on the 3rd Thurday. The next meeting will be March 19 from 9-11 at Peace and Justice Center, 96 Harlow Street, Bangor. (Across the street from Bangor Public Library) Contact information: Darcy Cooke 989-5860 darcy@foodandmedicine.org.
Childcare/Jobs Team is working on the legislative bill LD 1760 an Act to Support children’s Healthy Development and School Readiness. The full bill and a summary are in the Common Room. The passage of this bill will ensure a pilot program in partnership between government agencies, businesses, and parents. Join the team to advance awareness, education, implementation, evaluation and more in the area of childcare and jobs security for parents and childcare providers.
They also need help planning and implementing the third annual Week of the Young Child event at the Discovery Museum in April. See the flyer in the Common Room. The next meeting will be March 3 from 6-7:30 at First United Methodist Church, Essex Street, Bangor . Contact: Mary Ann Perry 570-3113 maryann_perry@hotmail.com or Team Chair: Roz Fisher osurosalyn1960@gmail.com
The Second Moveable Feast
The Second Moveable Feast supporting Faith Linking in Action is Saturday, April 18, 2020 . It will be held in the Orono area this year. The Islamic Center has agreed to serve the hors d’oeuvres. We are being asked if St. Patrick’s would be willing to provide the main meal of lasagna. This would be served out of the kitchen at the Keith Anderson building in Orono. I am willing to make two vegetable lasagnas. We need three more volunteers for making lasagna . If you are willing to help,please let me know. There is an oven there and we are planning to get warmers.
Thank you for considering this. Peace, Peggy Day
Food AND Medicine is having a House PARTY!!!!
Civic Engagement and Solidarity Harvest
I 
FAM (FLIA, TFA, FAC & Much more.
Food, and drinks, live music, cozy fireplace. Celebrate our love for FAM. Help thank our wonderful members and volunteers. It is free. Donations are welcomed. Cal 207-989-5860 for more information or email info@foodandmedicine.org, look for them on FB.FAMparty.362020
Please note date change from February 7 to March 6th.
WHEN: FRIDAY, MARCH 6TH, 2020 6:00 pm TO 8:00 pm
WHERE: THE SOLIDARITY CENTER, 20 IVERS ST., BREWER
Help Support the Bangor Homeless Shelter
The Islamic Center of Maine along with Temples Beth El and Beth Israel will hold an Open House fundraising event for Bangor Homeless Shelter on Sunday, March 15 at Temple Beth El from 2 to 4:30 pm. Heavy appetizers will be served. There will be no admission fee, but donations are being accepted. The proceeds from the event will go to the shelter to get a new boiler. The St. Pat’s Outreach Committee has contributed $100 towards this event so look for the flyers and plan to drop-in.
The vestry has determined specific charities for our 7 special envelopes that are in our pledge envelope boxes. The next special envelope is for Ash Wednesday and all donations will be given to the Brewer Ministerial Association Fuel Assistance Program..
What’s Happening at the Wilson Center
The Wilson Center invites you to an interfaith luncheon on March 12, 11:30-1:00. The topic is “Feeding Our Community Through Service and Devotion.” Lunch is provided at no cost to attendees, thanks to our co-sponsors the Jewish Community Endowment Associates. Additionally, The Wilson Center is also hosting a Meditation Circle on Tuesday evenings, 5:30-6:30. Our program director Anna Godsey says that everyone is welcome who would like to explore mindfulness.
Artful Spirit Connection welcomes back the artists from Citizens of Maine (COM) back for the Spring Reveal exhibit from March 1 through April 12 (Easter). A Spring Reveal reception and art activity will be held Monday, March 16 from 6 pm to 7 pm. The art activity will be St. Patrick’s Day oriented and it is an opportunity for St. Patrick’s members to meet the artists of COM. 
Coffee Hour: Please sign up to host coffee hour. The sign-up sheet is on the Common Room table.
Where does the loose offering in the plate go? The Outreach Committee would like to remind folks that the loose plate offering on the second Sunday of the month goes into the Outreach fund. On the third Sunday of the month it goes to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. On other Sundays it goes into the general fund.
Prayer list updates: Larry and Bonnie Puls are the contact people for creating the prayer list. If you would like to add or delete someone from the prayer list you can add your request in the Common Room or contact the Puls’ at: bonniepuls@aol.com or 942-1321.